Inculcation
by Back-in-Black-Finchel
Summary: When House's team become mentors to high schoolers, Cameron and the others uncover some haunting secrets hidden in her student's past. But, when the problem presents and the clock is running, will it be too late? Rated: T Chapter 6 up!
1. Chapter 1 Young Grasshoppers

_**Disclaimer: **__I do not own "House" or Fox, or any subsidiary third-party companies mentioned within this piece. The only characters I own are those that are not familiar to you (are not in the show). I also own the plot. This story is not based on anyone else's work and is made solely for the purpose of entertainment._

_**Author's Note**__: This is my first "House" fanifc. It's pretty much Cameron-centric with my own characters added in. I changed the first chapter to make the entire story flow better (the chapters now are going to be AU-style). __**Reviews are appreciated and thank you for reading.**_

_**Chapter 1 – Young Grasshoppers**_

"House!" Dr. Lisa Cuddy barked down one of the many hallways in the Department of Diagnostic Medicine.

Dr. Gregory House stopped in his tracks, his fingers tightening slightly around his cane with annoyance. He stifled a groan and turned around, a confused expression developing on his face as he saw the three teenagers standing behind Cuddy.

"Midgets? You let midgets in the hospital?" House asked in his usual gruffly sarcastic tone.

"Ignore him," Cuddy advised the students, then turned back to House, "No, House, they're students."

"Gee, I wouldn't have guessed. I mean, Princeton-Plainsboro _Teaching Hospital_ is just a name, right?" House smirked.

"Where's the rest of your team?" Cuddy asked quickly, ignoring her colleague's brash comments.

"Why do you wanna know?" House asked curiously.

Cuddy sighed deeply and walked over to the nurse's station, picking up the phone, "Doctors Cameron, Chase, and Foreman, please report to the nurse's station immediately."

"What are you doing?" House asked irritably.

Within a matter of seconds, Dr. Allison Cameron, Dr. Robert Chase, and Dr. Eric Foreman all walked quickly down the hallway toward the nurse's station.

"What happened?" Cameron asked hurriedly.

"Yeah, I was with a patient," Chase argued.

"Oh, stop whining," Cuddy rolled her eyes, "Was he or she critical?"

"No, but-" Chase started.

"Exactly. This _is_," Cuddy said sternly.

"_What_ exactly?" Foreman asked, all three young doctors looking at the teenagers in question, "And who are _they_?"

"_They_," Cuddy half-smiled, "Are three select students from a new medical program instituted by Princeton in Cedar Creek Preparatory School."

"What exactly does that mean to us?" Chase asked.

"You're their mentors," Cuddy answered, her tone making the decision like solid steel to the young doctors, "They're slated to shadow you for as long as I see fit."

Cameron, Chase, and Foreman all looked at one another apprehensively. A small sigh came from Chase as Foreman pinched the bridge of his nose. Cameron's expression turned from one of apprehension to one of distress as she looked at the teenagers in front of her – two boys and one girl.

"You can't do this," House grumbled, giving his young colleagues a moment of hope and respite before smashing that same feeling to bits, "They're not ready to mentor."

"They're fully qualified and I have utmost faith in them," Cuddy shook her head, "You said it yourself, House, this is a _teaching hospital_."

"Don't we have a say in this?" Chase interjected.

"No," Cuddy insisted, "You're spending the rest of the day with your students. Other doctors can cover for you – House can cover for you. No objections."

"House can't cover for us," Foreman complained, "He's inhumane!"

"Oh, and being a former criminal _isn't_?" House retorted.

"Stop it!" Cameron demanded, then softened her tone, "Look, arguing isn't going to solve this."

"Fine," House, Chase, and Foreman all agreed simultaneously.

"Good," Cuddy grinned, turning a bit towards the students. "David," she motioned towards the tallest and most muscular of the group, "Your mentor is Dr. Eric Foreman."

David Lerner gave Foreman a confident smile as he walked over to him. His sandy-brown short hair was spiked slightly in the front. David's stature towered over Foreman and his muscles tensed as he shook Eric's hand.

"Brian Friedman," Cuddy turned to the other boy, "Your mentor is Dr. Robert Chase."

Brian Friedman nodded with a wide smile and shook Chase's hand. He was about the same height as Chase but his hair was dark brown and his figure was lean. There was not so much an aura of confidence around him as there was one of laidback style and laziness.

"So, I take it you're my student," Cameron smiled kindly at the girl and offered her hand for a handshake.

"Danielle Ashman," the girl nodded politely, noting how gentle Dr. Cameron's touch was, "Well, Danni, actually. Uh, nice to meet you."

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Danni," Cameron grinned, "I'm Dr. Cameron."

After Cameron stated her name, Danni's eyes wandered slightly from Cameron to House after noticing her prior glances towards Chase. She saw his desperate efforts to hide his half-disgusted and half-depressed emotions in his facial features. _They had a fling and now she's probably about to be proposed to by another guy – that Dr. Chase guy. Cameron's probably a walking Mecca of sensitivity. Great…_

Cameron studied Danni for a few moments. _Shorter than me… 5" 2' maybe, in height. Reddish-brown hair – wavy with a touch of elegance to it. Deep blue-gray eyes with a touch of turquoise. No jewelry to speak of – not even earrings – save a watch. Make that a Cartier watch – but not flashy at all. Very introverted. Great… give me the shy one, Cuddy. Just because I'm a people person doesn't mean I like being with introverts all the time._

"Ok," Cuddy finished once she was satisfied that all of the students and mentors had met, "Now that all of you have met, you should probably get to know one another. So, go on."

Foreman and Lerner walked off talking about sports, Chase and Friedman conversed about grades, but Cameron and Danni walked off in an uncomfortable silence.

"So why did you give Cameron the one who's obviously committed social suicide already?" House asked bluntly.

"Because Cameron's the only one who can handle her," Cuddy answered with a sly smile.

"What do you mean?" House asked curiously.

"Danni's just like you," Cuddy replied courtly, "That being said, Cameron's the only one in this world who seems to actually enjoy your company. Oh, and doesn't mind the limp."

House didn't say a word as he watched Cuddy walk away.

c-h-a-m-e-r-o-n-4-e-v-e-r

"Why exactly do you think that that _kid_ is so much like me?" House asked as he barged into Cuddy's office.

"Dr. House, we're in the middle of a meeting," Cuddy sighed, throwing her pen down onto her desk with minimal exasperation as Wilson shook his head from the corner of the room. Every other doctor in the room seemed surprised at House's ignorance towards their presence.

"What?" House asked the surprised doctors, "This is your chance to escape. Go on… go! I won't tell Cuddy." They all looked at Cuddy.

"Apparently we'll resume the meeting after Dr. House and I have finished talking," Cuddy shook her head.

With some quiet comments, the doctors left. House just made faces at them as Wilson tried not to laugh.

"So what's this about interns?" Wilson asked after only House, Cuddy, and himself remained in the office.

"Apparently Cuddy thinks that Cameron, Chase, and Foreman would make great life coaches to a bunch of snot-nosed kids," House smirked, "Only one problem with her theory… Cameron, Chase, and Foreman _are_ snot-nosed kids. Foreman is like these kids, your average goody-two-shoes complex. Chase is your rich, snobby, self-centered preppy kid with great hair. And Cameron… well, she's as emotional and messed up as any of those kids. Look at her, she cries over… babies…"

"A lot of people cry over babies…" Wilson interjected, "Millions of people per day cry over babies, House. It's human to cry over a baby."

"Not the point," House glared at Wilson before turning his attention back to Cuddy, "They're not ready. And why is… whatever her name is... so much like me?"

"They _are_ ready, House," Cuddy answered abruptly before giving him a sly smile, "It irritates you that there's someone else like you, doesn't it?"

"No," House fired back irritably, "It doesn't."

"Whatever," Cuddy rolled her eyes, "She's just as antisocial and, from what I've heard, just as confrontational." Wilson snickered in the background.

"They're my team," House half-whined.

"My hospital," Cuddy retorted, "Wilson, back me up on this."

"I don't even know what's really going on and you want me to agree?" Wilson asked honestly.

"Three students, one girl and two boys from a private high school, are being mentored by Cameron, Chase, and Foreman," Cuddy sighed, "What more is there to know?"

"How about who has which kid?" House interjected. It was really starting to annoy him that Cameron was mentoring the one girl who was supposed to be similar to him.

"Chase got Brian, the laidback one. Foreman got David, the confident one. And Cameron got Danni, the only girl and a younger, slightly-nicer than House mini-me."

"How much of a mini-me?" Wilson asked curiously.

"She's supposedly very sweet, but can hold a grudge and has a cruel sarcastic temper if provoked," Cuddy answered, "From what I've heard, she's no stranger to the usual blunt comment here and there."

"Sounds like a caged animal," House quipped.

"Are you talking about her, or yourself?" Cuddy asked with one eyebrow raised slightly.

"How do you know this?" Wilson asked.

"I had to do some interviews," Cuddy answered quickly, "Are you supporting me on this or not?"

"Not that it makes a difference, but yes, I do," Wilson nodded, "It's probably a good thing for Foreman, Cameron, and Chase to get some mentoring experience. I mean, if Foreman can handle it, anyone can."

"Good," Cuddy smiled, "Now House has someone to go and cry about it to. Are we done?"

"One screw-up and they're gone," House demanded.

"Oh, grow up!" Cuddy huffed, "House, they're kids. They're going to make mistakes. That's part of being a student. That's part of life! Get over it. They're staying."

House just popped a Vicadin and walked out, obviously annoyed.

"What I haven't told Grumpy is that he gets to choose which one of them passes. There can only be one graduate," Cuddy said plainly to Wilson after House had left.

"So, this is just as much of a test of Cameron, Chase, and Foreman as it is the students," Wilson assumed, "I mean, it's a reflection of who was the best mentor."

"Exactly," Cuddy nodded.

"You want to fire them?" Wilson asked, clearly surprised.

"No, of course not," Cuddy shook her head.

"Then, what?" Wilson interrogated.

"I'm thinking about stepping down, taking a new perspective on my life…" Cuddy said quietly. Wilson was stunned.

"What? Why?" he asked.

"It's not final yet. That's why I'm doing this… it's just… preparatory," Cuddy tried to calm Wilson's stupor.

"You can't just impose an insane test on the doctors in this hospital and expect them to play along without question," Wilson said, using his typical psychological techniques on Cuddy as he paced the room before her, "This is against _your_ ethical code!"

"I'm not the one who started this. Princeton just gave me the opportune moment. I miss being a real doctor, Wilson," Cuddy said honestly, a pleading tone almost creeping into her voice.

"Look," Wilson said softly as he sat down in a chair in front of Cuddy's desk, clasping his hands in his lap and leaning on his elbows, "I can't stop you. I'm not even going to try, Cuddy. But, just take a retrospective look at everything. Look at all of the good you've achieved as head of this hospital. Look at everything you've done as a whole. If you want to do this, do it. But, stay around for a while even after you decide to leave… if you do. Take some well-overdue vacation time. Do anything to take a breather for once. Just promise me that you'll think long and hard about it, about leaving. Please."

"Of course. It's just a thought. I'm only using this as a backup plan – a way out if the time comes that I need an exit from it all," Cuddy nodded slowly.

Wilson didn't say anything but nodded his acceptance before turning to walk out of Cuddy's office.

"Wilson…" Cuddy called. He turned around to look at her. "Don't tell House," Cuddy almost pleaded, "Please." James Wilson just nodded and walked out, heavy-hearted and alone, wondering what he was going to do next with this, just one more secret that he kept for a dear friend.

_**Author's Note: If you'd be so kind, please drop a review on your way out.**_


	2. Chapter 2 First Impressions

_**Disclaimer: **__I do not own "House" or Fox, or any subsidiary third-party companies mentioned within this piece. The only characters I own are those that are not familiar to you (are not in the show). I also own the plot. This story is not based on anyone else's work and is made solely for the purpose of entertainment._

_**Author's Note**__: __**Reviews are appreciated; and thank you for reading.**_

_**Chapter 2 – First Impressions**_

**In one of the conference rooms…**

"So, David, how old are you?" Foreman asked from across the large conference room table.

"I'm seventeen," David answered, "I'm a senior this year."

"With a 5.94 GPA," Foreman observed as her perused David's file, "Weighted I'm guessing?"

"Advanced Placement," David nodded, "Almost a perfect 6.0."

"Any hobbies?" Foreman asked, struggling not to roll his eyes at the fact that David decided to say the words 'Advanced Placement' versus a simple 'AP.'

"I'm the captain of the varsity basketball team," David said proudly, "And yet I still find time for academics."

Foreman's eyes widened as he stared at David. He couldn't believe how pompous his student was. He glanced over the young man's appearance and noticed that he had expensive taste. David was obviously lucky that he had mommy and daddy's money.

This was going to be a very long residency…

**In another conference room across the hall…**

"So, Brian… what do you like to do in your free time?" Chase asked awkwardly.

"Uh… well I pretty much just, ya' know, hang with the ladies," Brian smiled slyly, chuckling a bit. Chase held in a sigh. _Oh God._

"Um, so when you're not '_with the ladies_,' what do you like to do? Sports, school, other stuff?" Chase asked again.

"I get good grades – don't like school though," Brian mumbled, "Sports, I play football – but not because I like that either."

Chase just wanted to get up and walk out of the room, forgetting he had ever been assigned an intern. The kid was a sex-crazed teenager. How much worse could it get? And, to make matters worse, Brian was a _kid_! Three of the best doctors in the hospital, in Chase's humble opinion, were assigned _kids_ as "interns." Suddenly he zoned out of the conversation as he thought about Cameron. Thoughts of everything he loved about her mixed with concern over how she was faring with her own intern.

**In the same old office…**

"Wow…" Cameron remarked, reading over Danni's file. Danni shrugged as her ears flushed a slight shade of red, despite her attempts not to blush. "So how did you end up here?" Cameron said sweetly with a half-smile.

"I like science – a lot –, decided to take the med program. Presto…" Danni answered somewhat nervously without a smile. Cameron cracked a wide smile.

"So you wanted to do this?" she mused, "Did Dr. Cuddy tell you about House?"

"Uh, yeah… kinda," Danni nodded, "I'm still here…"

"Brave kid," Cameron chuckled.

"Is he really _that_ bad?" Danni asked, raising one eyebrow slightly.

"Yes. But, you're my intern, not his. Thankfully, he can't really-" Cameron stopped.

"Ah, if it isn't one of the new ducklings – or, the duckling of the duckling – something like that," House mused, "Cuddy gave you the girl as your intern, Cameron? Harsh…"

"House!" Cameron growled.

"Your point being…?" Danni asked. House cocked his head. He wasn't used to people firing comments right back at him like that.

"Point being…" He said, hobbling up to Danni, "You're a whiney school girl."

"House! Leave her alone!" Cameron hissed.

"You don't think she can take it?" House challenged, staring intently into Danni's fiery, wild blue eyes, the entire conversation being a test of House-likeness for the teenager.

"Is that a challenge, Dr. House?" Danni asked arrogantly.

"I bet you won't last five minutes here," House narrowed his eyes. He was surprised that she had challenged back. Cameron just gaped at Danni. She couldn't believe how House-like this girl was.

"You're not half as bad as Dr. Cuddy made you out to be," Danni shook her head, "Dr. Cameron told me you were, and I paraphrase, _'that bad_.' You seem pretty harmless to me. You're rude. But, then again, so am I. So what? And, by the way, hitherto I've been here for two hours and counting."

"Alright you two! Knock it off!" Cameron stepped in between them, "House, go away. She's my intern. Stop interfering." Suddenly her pager went off. It was Cuddy. "We have to go."

"What? Avon calling?" House smirked. Danni chuckled.

"C'mon," Cameron said quickly as she ushered her young intern out of the office.

"See ya, Shorty," House called after Danni, "And Shorty's totally hot teacher."

The office door slammed shut. House was alone, and he had _definitely_ met his younger female counterpart. With a contented smile, he walked back into his own office. He liked this kid.

House, M.D. – House, M.D. – House, M.D.

In a span of five minutes, Cameron, Foreman, Chase, and their respective interns were all gathered in Cuddy's office. Foreman and Chase stood an entire office from their interns, Cameron was trying to comprehend the events that had taken place in the office, the teenage boys were both talking to one another, and Danni stood alone, studying Cameron closely.

"So I trust that you've all had a chance to get to know one another," Cuddy smiled, walking into her office. Silence met her words. "Well, too bad. You're working together anyway." Foreman sighed as Cameron and Chase exchanged glances. "As I said previously, you'll be spending the rest of the day with your students. Obviously, they're not ready for the big stuff yet, so, clinic duty it is. Luckily, that means you'll only spend two hours in the Clinic, and then you're free to go home. But, first you'll need to stop by the locker rooms. Brian, David, and Danni need to change into scrubs."

Everyone sighed and started to walk out of Cuddy's office.

"Dr. Cameron," Cuddy called as Cameron walked up to her desk. Danni decided to go find the locker rooms and her set of scrubs.

"Yeah?" Cameron asked tiredly.

"You look irritated," Cuddy said, trying desperately to hide her smirk, "Anything wrong?"

"You gave me House," Cameron grumbled pointedly. She wasn't normally one to complain, but this was too much.

"I wouldn't have assigned her to you if you couldn't handle her," Cuddy said as she signed some charts. She looked up at Cameron, "But it won't be easy either. The kid Foreman got is a pompous jerk, and the one Chase was assigned obviously bought his way in to this. Danni has potential."

"I know," Cameron said shortly. _Why is she telling me this? Do I look like an idiot or something?_ "If you'll excuse me, I have to get to the Clinic…"

"Of course," Cuddy nodded as Cameron walked straight for the door. "Oh, Dr. Cameron…"

"Yes?" Cameron bit back her frustration.

"Don't get too close to Danni," Cuddy warned. Cameron just stared at her in disbelief for a moment before storming out of the office.

Cameron stopped outside of Cuddy's office door when she realized that Danni had been holding it open for her, dressed in purple scrubs just like hers.

"Uh, thanks…" she mumbled, a bit surprised at the difference in attitude that Danni had towards her versus House. The young girl just nodded. "C'mon. Apparently I have to drag you to the Clinic."

"Are you ok?" Danni asked awkwardly. Snapping out of her angry trance, Cameron softened her expression and looked at her intern.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she smiled a bit, "Thanks for asking, though…"

"Yeah…" Danni bit her lip. Cameron could tell that she was quite misanthropic.

"You ready?" she asked.

"Don't think I have a choice…" Danni scoffed.

"Nope," Cameron chuckled, "You're stuck with me, and I'm stuck in the Clinic."

"You make it sound like Chinese water torture," Danni mumbled.

"The Clinic is…" Cameron rolled her eyes, "Unless you enjoy diagnosing a little kid with a cold, and then spending an hour explaining to the mother that he's not going to die from a fever of 99.1. And, if you were referring to being stuck with me… I don't know; you'll have to decide for yourself."

"I meant the Clinic…" Danni said quickly, "Not you…"

"Thanks," Cameron laughed, "C'mon kiddo, we have work to do."

Typically, Danni hated people calling her nicknames like 'kiddo,' but she really didn't care what Cameron called her. _This is… weird. Did I really just let her call me 'kiddo'? Uh oh… this could be trouble. What the heck is wrong with me?_

"Hey Carol," Cameron smiled as she walked up to the nurses station.

"I was just going to look for you. Who's she?" Carol asked, looking at Danni.

"This is Danni," Cameron answered, "She's my intern. Why were you looking for me? Something come up?"

"No," Carol shook her head, eyeing Danni suspiciously, "Pelvic in Exam Room 1. She asked for a female doctor."

"Greaaaaaat," Cameron dragged out. She accepted the file and looked at Danni. "You might want to sit this one out."

"Do you want me to?" Danni asked honestly.

"Only if you think you can't handle it," Cameron returned with cold honesty.

"And if I'm sure I _can_?" Danni challenged lightly. Cameron just smiled and nodded towards Exam Room 1.

"Go get 'em, tiger," she scoffed. Danni had to bite the inside of her cheeks hard to keep from smiling. _What the hell is happening to me?_

Danni opened the door to the exam room for Cameron, who nodded her thanks.

"Good morning," Cameron smiled at the woman, "I'm Dr. Cameron. What seems to be the problem?"

"Who's she?" the woman snipped, glaring at Danni.

"She's… Nurse Ashman," Cameron lied quickly, winking at Danni when the woman wasn't looking.

"She looks too young to be a nurse," the woman scoffed, still glaring at the young intern intently.

"Actually," Danni started in an accent _identical_ to Chase's, "I'm from Sydney, Australia. We enter med school just after high school. But, I'm just here to help Dr. Cameron with the procedure if need be. If you want me to leave, I can."

This time it was Cameron who had to clench her fists, digging her nails into the palms of her hands in order to keep from laughing.

"That won't be necessary," the woman said, her tone softening just a bit.

"Mrs. Evans," Cameron got the woman's attention, "What seems to be the problem?"

**Meanwhile, in Exam Room 2…**

"Mr. Jones, your son has a pneumonia," Chase diagnosed, writing some information in the child's chart.

"Are you sure?" Mr. Jones asked.

"Yes," Chase nodded, "I'll write him a prescription for some antibiotics. Make sure he takes it once daily for a week. He should be just fine." Brian was lazily sitting over in the corner of the room when Chase looked up to briefly glance at his intern. _God, this is insufferable._

"You said that he 'should' get better," Mr. Jones pointed out anxiously, "Does that mean that there's a chance he won't?"

"No, Mr. Jones," Chase bit back a sigh, "It was just wording. He _will_ be just fine if he follows the regimen of antibiotics."

"Alright," Mr. Jones sighed, "If you say so."

Chase anxiously glanced up at the clock. He couldn't wait for lunch. He was planning on asking Cameron out to lunch, and the only thing that was keeping him going was the hope that she'd accept. Shrugging, he tore the paper off of the pad in his hand and handed it to Mr. Jones.

"The pharmacy is just out the door," he said with a very small grin, "And your son can get a lollipop on the way out too. They're at the nurses station."

"Thank you Dr. Chase," Mr. Jones smiled, shaking Chase's hand.

"No problem," Chase nodded before looking at the little three-year-old at his father's side, "Feel better, ok, buddy?" He gave the little one a high five and a smile before both father and son walked out of the exam room.

"Alright, Brian," Chase sighed, "Let's go." He hoped to God that Cameron was having a much better time than he was. (And she definitely was…)

**In the Doctors Lounge…**

"House would be so proud," Cameron teased, walking through the doors to the Doctors Lounge.

"I thought you said he wasn't my mentor," Danni pointed out, letting the door that she was holding open shut behind her heels.

"He isn't," Cameron shook her head, looking at her intern.

"So, what does it matter what he thinks?" Danni asked nonchalantly, furrowing her brow a bit.

"Of course… leave it to House 2.0 to say that," Cameron rolled her eyes.

"2.0?" Danni asked quietly.

"1.0's always have mistakes. 2.0's are… vast improvements on the first version," Cameron shrugged.

Danni turned her back to Cameron and bent down to tie her shoe. This time, there was no way she could hide the smile that was forming on her face. Cameron watched her with a smile of her own.

"And yes… I do see you smiling," she chuckled playfully. _Cuddy is going to murder me. The hell with it._

Danni's stomach churned. She had no idea why this was happening. She never, _ever_ trusted anyone. And then Cameron comes along and it's all over. _I've gotta be more careful._

Neither knew what was happening, but they clicked as if they'd been friends for an eternity. Danni never smiled again the entire day, remaining her regular hard-shelled self. Cameron, similarly, remained her usual self. But they both knew that something had changed. But what?


	3. Chapter 3 Everybody Lies REVISED

_**IF YOU READ THE ORIGINAL VERSION OF THIS CHAPTER, I URGE YOU TO READ THIS REVISED VERSION. IT'S NECESSARY FOR FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS IN THE STORY.**_

_**Disclaimer: **__I do not own "House" or Fox, or any subsidiary third-party companies mentioned within this piece. The only characters I own are those that are not familiar to you (are not in the show). I also own the plot. This story is not based on anyone else's work and is made solely for the purpose of entertainment._

_**Author's Note**__: __**Reviews are appreciated; and thank you for reading. Happy reading!**_

_**Chapter 3 – Everybody Lies **_

_**(cliché huh…?)**_

**Week 3**

**So many things had changed in three weeks for Cameron, Foreman, Chase, and their respective interns. They had gotten to know one another closely. For some, this produced disastrous results… (Three weeks is a long time; anything can happen…)**

"Brian," Cuddy almost groaned, "This is the third time that Dr. Chase has brought you to my office this week. What happened this time, Chase?"

"He entered the exam room just as I was beginning a pelvic examination," Chase sighed, "after I had directly ordered him to stay outside. Upon entry, Brian felt the need to make a comment about the patient's _position_ and continue to sexually harass her. We're lucky that she's not pressing charges."

"How did that happen?" Cuddy asked, thankful that she wouldn't have to call in the lawyer, "The 'not pressing charges' part, I mean."

"I told her that he was a psych patient that was waiting in the lobby and he probably got lost on his way to the bathroom," Chase groaned, "Thank God she believed it."

"Brian, this is serious," Cuddy sighed, "Do you understand the consequences of your actions?" She felt like she was talking to a kindergartener versus a senior in high school.

"I could really care less," he said honestly. Both Cuddy and Chase looked at one another in frustration.

**Up in the Diagnostics Office…**

Cameron watched in amusement as her young counterpart walked out of the elevators. _She always has her head in a book._ Sure enough, Danni was absorbed in her latest literary obsession, whatever that was. The girl refused to put the book down as she walked, using her peripheral vision to quickly sidestep moving objects or people, and even do a full three-sixty to avoid crashing into Wilson and risk spilling his coffee. Cameron laughed from inside the office, amazed at how well Danni doing.

She opened the door to the office just as Danni approached. Not noticing that the door was already open, Danni went to lean against the door to open it to find nothing but air. She let out a little yelp before almost falling over, only to be caught by Cameron before she hit the floor, who couldn't help but looking down at the 'young Padawan' in her arms with a teasing grin.

House walked into his office and stopped, seeing the odd events unfolding from the Danni-don't-get-run-over shuffle, to the part where Cameron caught her in the doorway. He cocked his head to one side and opened the door between his office and the other office.

"Cameron, I didn't know you went that way," he snickered.

Ignoring her boss, Cameron just helped the still-in-shock Danni up while still holding the door open with her foot. Lucky for Danni, her mentor was multi-talented.

"You ok, Dan?" Cameron asked softly.

"Uh," Danni paused awkwardly, backing away from Cameron in embarrassment, "Yeah… thanks."

"A little more practice and a little less falling on top of Cameron, and you got it, kid," House smirked.

As if Danni wasn't already embarrassed enough, much to her chagrin, her face turned bright red. She barely even acknowledged him before discarding her backpack in a chair. Cameron bent down to pick up her student's book.

"_The Divine Comedy_," Cameron read to herself. She looked at Danni with a smile, "Dante? How old are you again?"

"Uh, fifteen," Danni said quickly, her voice wavering a bit. House noticed the little falter in her voice. It interested him, and that was never a good thing unless the person was sick.

"I didn't read this until college," Cameron shook her head with a chuckle. When she looked back at Danni, Cameron noticed the girl's uneasy glances at House. _She doesn't want him here._

"C'mon," Cameron nodded towards the door, "I have clinic duty."

"No you don't," House interjected.

"Are you going to do your clinic duty?" Cameron asked.

"No," House replied quickly.

"Exactly. You have clinic duty today. I'll do yours," she offered.

"Offering to do my clinic duty?" House scoffed, "You either have really bad PMS, or you're finally admitting that you still love me."

"Do you actually listen to yourself when you talk?" Danni growled, "Because it's really, _really_ starting to tick me off."

House just smirked. It was fun ticking his young counterpart off. If he even so much hinted towards an insult at Cameron, she'd glare his way. If he actually insulted her, it was hilarious to watch her steaming in anger while Cameron tried to make her calm down. House truly admired this quality about the girl, despite how unladylike it may have been. She was standing up for what she believed in. She had the backbone that Cameron never had, and yet lacked the bedside manner that he also never had. She was, in his opinion, a great addition to the team.

"Hey, Cam, your ass looks great in those pants," House winked.

"Shut up!" Danni hissed, "God, you're such a-"

"Ok, ok, alright," Cameron stepped between them, looking at Danni, "Relax, it's just House being House."

"No, he's an ass being an ass," Danni said with a low growl.

"Geez, you're no fun," House whined, looking at Danni, "I can't even insult my wall art anymore without you getting all up on my jock."

"You're the most-" Danni started furiously.

"Hey, hey, hey," Cameron said strongly, stepping in front of Danni and holding her back, "Relax." She turned to House. "And you, _**stop baiting her**_!" she growled.

"But it's so fun Mommy," House whined, walking into his own office.

Cameron sighed, shaking her head. She really did feel like a mother trying to keep her two kids from fighting for who would get the most attention from Mommy. The worst part was, House and Danni _were_ actually fighting for her attention in many respects.

She dropped her hands from Danni's tensed shoulders and sighed as a piece of her reddish-brown hair fell into her face. Tracing her young student's glare, it was trained on House, who was sitting and reading the National Enquirer.

"Easy there, tiger," Cameron soothed, "It's ok. He's gone."

"No he's not," Danni mumbled.

"That's as far 'gone' as he's going to be," Cameron tried to reason.

With that, Danni stormed out of the door to the Diagnostics Office. Cameron gave one last glare at her boss before running after her.

"Danni," she called, "Danni, wait."

"What?" Danni answered shortly as Cameron caught up to her.

"You've been here three weeks, and things between you and him have gone from bearable, to bad, to worse," Cameron said in a gentle tone of voice, "What's the matter?"

"Don't get me wrong, I'm an ass," Danni said in a low voice, "But he even gives 'ass' a bad name."

"You're not an ass," Cameron shook her head in disbelief, "You're not even relatively close to being a jerk. Why would you ever think that?"

"That's not the point," Danni deflected.

"House is just who he is," Cameron said quickly, "But why would you ever think that you're anything but a nice kid?"

Suddenly, Cameron's pager went off. Danni sighed with relief. The conversation was about to take a turn where she didn't want to go, where she never wanted to venture. But she also knew that Cameron would never just let this drop. Her little slipup would come back to haunt her sooner rather than later.

"It's Cuddy," Cameron sighed, "She wants us down in her office pronto."

"Why?" Danni asked quizzically, masking her concern.

"No idea," Cameron answered, stepping into an elevator.

The elevator doors shut as an awkward silence filled the elevator.

"You still haven't answered my question," Cameron pointed out.

"Don't intend to either," Danni mumbled.

"Danni…" Cameron sighed, "I'm not saying you have to like him, but I would start trying to get along with House. He's not as bad as you think."

"He shouldn't treat you like that," Danni bit her lip.

"What he says and what he does are two entirely different entities," Cameron tried, "He's rude because he can't handle the world any other way. When he says those things, first of all he's trying to get you all riled up, and second, he's just making sense of the world the only way he can. House has no bedside manner whatsoever, but he's a brilliant-beyond-brilliant doctor." Looking into Danni's greenish-blue eyes, Cameron bit her lip before putting her hand on Danni's shoulder. She could feel Danni's muscles tense under her hand. "He won't hurt me. I promise."

"Being the misanthropist that you know I am, forgive me if I don't believe you," Danni scoffed, brushing Cameron's hand off of her shoulder as the elevator doors opened.

"I know," Cameron smiled. _But I also know that you'll respect my wishes because you respect me and, even though you'll never admit it, you respect House too._

"Comforting isn't it?" Danni said sarcastically, continuing towards Cuddy's office.

Cameron just paused a moment, watching Danni with a telling smile. Yeah, Danni _could_ actually be a bit of a pain, but she was a lovable pain.

"You coming?" Danni asked, trying to break Cameron's trance.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Let's go," Cameron nodded.

"Dr. Cameron," Cuddy greeted her as both she and Danni walked into the room.

"Is everything alright?" Cameron asked, looking at Chase.

"Hey Cameron," he smiled.

"Hey," she grinned.

Danni watched their body language. _They're so into one another. And yet they're not dating? People are complicated… and idiots._

"Well, actually it's not," Cuddy said, earning Cameron's attention, "Brian has done everything possible to prove that he's neither qualified nor worthy of being here. He obviously doesn't want to be, so we're respecting his wishes and ending his tenure in the program."

"What exactly does this have to do with me?" Cameron asked.

"Danni will now be mentored by Dr. Chase as well as yourself," Cuddy said.

"Oh," Cameron said disappointedly, "That's fantastic." _Is Cuddy doing this because she doesn't think I can do it, or because she wants to put as much space between the two of us as possible? Great, now I have to deal closely with Chase. Could this day get any worse?_

"You also have a case," Cuddy sighed, "Dr. Chase, Danni, take this up to House. I'm sure he'll find it interesting. Dr. Cameron, can I talk to you for a second?" Danni reluctantly left Cameron, and walked with Chase out the doors to Cuddy's office.

Cameron felt like Cuddy had purposefully just slapped her across the face. "Sure…"

There was an odd silence for a few moments.

"I see that you two are getting along," Cuddy remarked.

"Danni's a great kid," Cameron agreed.

The room went silent again. Cameron could see the protective glint shining in Cuddy's eyes, making her own blood boil with memories of their first confrontation.

"You got close to her after I specifically told you not to," Cuddy said with a passively aggressive tone.

"And I don't regret it," Cameron shook her head, responding to Cuddy's sudden change in attitude from nice to furiously mad.

"She's misanthropic, Dr. Cameron. No offence, but you have no idea what she's been through," Cuddy sighed, "It's taken a long time to get here to this point."

"And in the last three weeks, she's been getting progressively better," Cameron pointed out, "At least from what I've seen."

"So you think that's all because of you?" Cuddy asked.

"No! I never said that," Cameron said in stupor, "I'm just saying that maybe you don't know her as well as you think."

"She's **my** goddaughter," Cuddy said warningly, "I think I know her better than you do. Being that I love her like I would if she were my own daughter, I will do _anything_ to protect her. Surely you of all people understand that, Dr. Cameron."

The two women stood in silence for a moment. Cameron couldn't believe Cuddy would say that. They'd had their moments, but bringing _that_ up? Her turquoise-blue eyes gleamed in the bright sunlight, making her appear to be a goddess on earth, pure and ethereal. They both knew that looks lied more than people.

"I meant that you're the caring one on House's team," Cuddy tried, seeing how angry her words had made the woman in front of her.

"_Any_ woman would understand that feeling. But, does protecting her come a the cost of making her like House – miserable and misanthropic?" Cameron asked in a low growl before storming out of Cuddy's office in blind rage. _I can't believe this. I can't believe that Danni is Cuddy's goddaughter, or that Cuddy would actually think that I'd hurt her. I can't believe she brought…" that"… up… It was a long time ago._

Cameron just shook her head and walked through the elevator doors. She had to but the entire ordeal behind her and just keep going; they had a case to solve. _Now at least I know why that girl has problems. But it doesn't matter. Cuddy doesn't always know what's best._

**Back up in the Diagnostics Office…**

"So Cuddy paired you, Aussie, and Cameron up?" House asked curiously.

"Yeah," Danni sighed.

"Don't you have a case?" David interrupted.

"Well isn't your intern eager, Foreman?" House smirked, "Yes, we do. And yet, the file only says to go and see Cuddy. That's interesting."

"She said it was a case," Chase interjected.

"Cuddles lied," House deadpanned, "Where's Cameron?"

"Getting chewed out by Cuddy," Danni mumbled, sinking in her chair as crossed her arms on the table and rested her head atop her crossed arms. She looked like the epitome of a kicked puppy.

"What?" Chase and Foreman exclaimed in unison.

"How old are you again?" House asked randomly. He watched as Danni's eyes opened wider.

"Fifteen," she stated simply, looking up at him in question.

"Why is Cameron in such trouble with Cuddy?" Chase asked worriedly.

"Ask Cameron," House motioned, "She's walking through the d-"

"So do we have a case or what?" Cameron asked as she walked through the door.

"What happened?" Chase asked.

"Nothing," Cameron said with a small grin, "Cuddy just wanted to talk about how we all have to do performance reviews of our students. She had to get the case to House so she sent you and Danni up here first."

"So you two are sharing one student?" House snickered, "This should be interesting. Well, I guess not really. I mean, she has enough intelligence to go around."

As if Danni wasn't nervous enough, another wave of anxiety passed over her body at House's words.

"What are you talking about?" Foreman said in defense of his own intern, "They're both qualified to be here."

"Yeah," House smirked, "Sure. That's what they all say. But Cuddy's showing this one off like a sixteen-year-old kid with a new car… or a mother with a new baby."

"House, drop it," Cameron warned as Danni's face turned a pasty white.

"You know something," he accused, looking at Cameron.

"She's Cuddy's goddaughter," Cameron said like it was no big deal while everyone in the room gaped at her, "What difference does it make?" Danni shrunk into her seat.

"Really?" House laughed aloud, "That's interesting. You know, I was going to say that Cuddy was showing her off because Danni's been lying to everyone. She's not fifteen, she's twelve **and** a freshman in high school. But, now… No wonder Cuddy's obsessed with this kid."

Danni just bit her lip and stared intently at her hands that were clasped in her lap. _Oh crap… I'm screwed._

_**AN: Reviews please!!! Thank you!**_


	4. Chapter 4 First Case

_**SPOLIERS FOR "ACT YOUR AGE" – WARNING**_

_**Conversations from the episode are transcribed into this piece and then modified to fit its plot. No copyright infringement intended.**_

_**Disclaimer: **__I do not own "House" or Fox, or any subsidiary third-party companies mentioned within this piece. The only characters I own are those that are not familiar to you (are not in the show). I also own the plot. This story is not based on anyone else's work and is made solely for the purpose of entertainment._

_**Author's Note**__: __**Reviews are appreciated; and thank you for reading. Happy reading! I said this was AU-ish, ergo I reserve the right to break the rules of the traditional AU style. (Yay me!) SPOILERS FOR "ACT YOUR AGE"**_

_**Chapter 4 – First Case**_

_**Part 1**_

"Wow. Is this awkward or what?" House chuckled, "You got a double whammy, kid – Cuddy's biggest fan, _and_ a twelve-year-old whiz kid."

Danni jolted out of her chair so quickly that it toppled over backwards. The anger in her eyes glinted in the morning sun. Before Cameron could stop her, Danni was out the door to the office and barreling down the hallway. Everyone was in shock. From finding out that Danni was not only Cuddy's goddaughter to discovering that she wasn't actually a regular high school student, but a twelve-year-old, it was startling. The explosion out of the room didn't help the atmosphere either.

"God, Cameron, keep a leash on the kicked puppy," House said accusingly, "Don't let her go crying to Mommy."

"Stop it!" Cameron growled fiercely, standing up to face him, "You're an ass; we all get that. But there's **no** need to take it out on Danni." With that, she stormed out of the room in search of her young protégé.

"Very, very interesting…" House mumbled to himself, cocking his head to one side ever so slightly.

**Cuddy's Office**

"You told her that I was your goddaughter?" Danni asked loudly as she barged into Cuddy's office.

"I'm going to have to call you back," Cuddy sighed into the phone before setting it back down in the cradle. She looked up at Danni, "I didn't see any reason not to."

"Besides the fact that it's not true?" Danni retorted.

"It's true enough," Cuddy said softly, "I've known you since you were three, _and_ taken care of you since you were six. Why does this bother you so much?"

"Because House now knows that I'm your 'goddaughter,' which is arguable, but still," Danni sighed, "_and_ he knows that I'm twelve!"

"What? How?" Cuddy asked quickly.

"You mean you didn't tell him?" Danni cocked her head to one side.

"No," Cuddy shook her head, walking up to Danni, "Of course not."

"Then he must have just figured it out," Danni shrugged, "But still…"

Cameron rounded the corner only to stop in her tracks. Through the glass of Cuddy's office she saw Danni with her alleged godmother. Only then did she realize that, in the unusual silence of the clinic, she could hear the fragmented bits of their conversation from where she stood.

"I know," Cuddy soothed, wrapping her arms around the young girl, "But you'll get through it. You always do. Plus, I'm right here if he gives you any trouble." Danni shuffled her feet uncomfortably in Cuddy's embrace.

A pang of resentment tore through Cameron's heart like nothing she'd ever felt before. She wanted nothing more than to fling the door to Cuddy's office open and get her away from Danni. Instead, Cameron clenched her fists and watched the scene unfold in front of her. She had no idea why she was so furious, but it didn't matter to her.

"I don't want to have to depend on you to get me out of every uncomfortable situation," Danni said quietly.

"House is a big obstacle to tackle solo," Cuddy said sympathetically.

"I'm not 'tackling him solo.' I've got Cameron," Danni half-smiled. Cameron had to bite the inside of her cheeks to keep from grinning like the Cheshire cat.

"And Chase," Cuddy corrected, looking somewhat irritated by Danni's comment.

"Right," Danni nodded, pulling out of Cuddy's arms, "I should probably get the case file and go."

"True," Cuddy rolled her eyes, turning around and grabbing the file off of her desk, "Although I specifically asked House to come and get it." Danni scoffed. "Here."

"Thanks," Danni nodded, taking the file. She turned to leave.

"Hey! Come back here," Cuddy called after her.

"What?" Danni asked, turning around.

"I'll see ya' later," Cuddy smiled, dropping a kiss on the top of Danni's head. Cameron grimaced.

"Yeah," Danni nodded, giving her best attempt at a sincere smile before walking out of the office.

Danni sauntered out of the office with her head down, studying the file. That is, until she ran into Cameron and dropped it on the floor.

"C-C-Cameron…" she stuttered, embarrassment making her cheeks turn a deep shade of red.

Cameron smiled sympathetically, kneeling down to get the file.

"Sorry," Danni bit her lip.

"It was my fault; I shouldn't have startled you like that," Cameron said softly.

"No… I just wasn't expecting to…" Danni sighed, fighting the urge to clench her teeth at the patronizing tone in Cameron's voice, "I was trying to avoid you."

"I know," Cameron smirked.

"Then why did you…?" Danni started, still straining to ignore the playful tone in Cameron's voice.

"I want to make sure you're ok," Cameron said softly.

"Never better," Danni shook her head, brushing past Cameron. _Oh great. Here we go with the sensitivity._

"Danni…" Cameron sighed, "wait. Seriously, House's comments can be hurtful."

"We've got a case," Danni said impatiently.

Cameron grabbed the file and held it behind her back, "The case can wait."

"Oh yes… dying patients are less important than your psychoanalysis of my misanthropy," Danni deadpanned.

"You can be really immature, you know that?" Cameron groaned.

"That's the beauty of being twelve," Danni smirked, "You can pick and choose between the 'maturity' of a high school student, and that of a sixth or seventh grader. Although, call me crazy, but I think they're pretty much equal in maturity levels. I mean, unless you insinuate that sex is maturity, in which case, yes, high school students… eh, actually… no, they're still about equal. What can I say, middle school mental-midgets are just as-"

"Ok, I get the point," Cameron stopped her.

Danni bit her lip and studied Cuddy's expression through her peripheral vision.

"Cuddy's watching us isn't she?" Cameron guessed, her voice low.

"No. She's watching _you_," Danni said uncomfortably.

"That's what I meant…" Cameron sighed, "We have a case anyway."

"Ok," Danni nodded.

"C'mon," Cameron nodded towards the elevators.

"So you're twelve?" Cameron asked once the elevator doors closed.

"Didn't we already cover this?" Danni asked, raising one eyebrow slightly.

"Not really," Cameron said.

"Yes. I'm twelve," Danni sighed, "Anything else?"

"Nothing you'd tell me by your own will," Cameron teased.

"You're catching on," Danni chuckled.

"So what classes are you taking?" Cameron asked curiously. Danni rolled her eyes. "What?" Cameron asked, "I can't ask that?"

"I'm a twelve-year-old kid in high school," Danni smirked, "That's not enough for you?"

"It is. I'm just kidding," Cameron smiled gently, placating her young student.

Danni groaned and shoved a hand in her pocket, grabbing her BlackBerry Bold and pushing it into Cameron's hand.

"My courses are all listed on an email," she sighed, "Should be either first or second in the inbox."

Cameron just smiled wider, trying so desperately to hold back a laugh.

"Cheater…" Danni grumbled.

"What?" Cameron chuckled incredulously, "_You _gave in!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" Danni mumbled.

"Oh," she mused, "Super Girl has kryptonite after all."

"I-" Danni tried.

"Oh isn't this cute," House scoffed as the elevator doors opened.

"She went down to get the case file, House," Cameron said protectively. Both she and Danni walked out of the elevator. Stepping between House and Danni, Cameron took a defensive position in front of her student.

"Aww, c'mon Mommy! You're killing all of the fun!" House whined.

"Don't care," Cameron smirked, shoving the file forcefully into House's chest, "We have a case."

"Killjoy," House griped, turning to walk back to the office.

"You nervous?" Cameron asked softly, looking back at Danni after everyone had started back towards the Diagnostics Office, "I mean, this being your real first case and all…"

"No," Danni shook her head, "Of course not."

"Good," Cameron smiled.

"Are you?" Danni countered.

"No," Cameron chuckled, "I have faith in you."

"Great," Danni rolled her eyes.

Cameron just laughed as they started towards the office.

Danni let Cameron walk slightly ahead of her, trying to force back the smile that was threatening to upturn the corners of her mouth. For once she was being treated like a young adult – not quite kid, but also thankfully not quite adult. Sure, Cuddy meant well, but… it just didn't feel the same. Danni was bending – her personality was breaking. It was like Cameron was taking a hammer and chisel and slowly chipping the pieces off anger and despondence off of her. The feeling, the warm, cozy feeling that felt so foreign and weird, had turned into something so rampant that Danni couldn't deny it. She knew she'd felt it before. But that was long ago – six years ago. Six years ago was the last time she had felt anything remotely close. It scared her. Hell, the world scared her. But this, this wasn't normal – it wasn't _rational_. She felt so comfortable with Cameron – so, dare she even think it, _happy_. But the feeling and trust, it only made Danni feel guilty – like she was betraying the only other person to make her truly feel… _loved_.

Shrugging the feeling away, Danni shook her head quickly and walked into the office. The first real case was beginning – the race to the finish had begun.

**First Encounter**

"I don't want anymore shots," Lucy, their six-year-old patient whined.

"I don't want anymore shots," Jasper, her obnoxious brother, repeated tauntingly.

"Jasper," the father reprimanded shortly, "Look at me, Goosey. Squeeze my hand, ok?"

"This will tell us why you're sick so we can make you all better," Chase grinned enthusiastically.

Danni stood at Cameron's side, watching Chase inject local anesthetic into Lucy's underarm. She was half-listening to Cameron trying to explain how Lucy could have contracted a fungus. The little kid, Jasper, in the corner was starting to annoy her. His attitude was extremely abrasive and obnoxious.

"You're gonna stick that thing in her arm?" Jasper asked, walking up to the bedside, "Cool!"

"The cool part is," Cameron smiled at the little girl, "your sister won't feel a thing."

Danni couldn't help but roll her eyes. Cameron's bedside manner was perfect, but… annoying as all-get-out.Quickly losing interest, Jasper started to stare at Cameron.

"Nice necklace," he commented, moving closer to Cameron so that he shoved Danni out of the way.

"Thanks," Cameron said sweetly, throwing an amused look back at her intern, who just set her jaw and noticeably stifled an irritated sigh.

"You like video games?" Jasper asked, obviously running out of childish pickup lines as he held his PSP up for Cameron to see.

Chase looked from Jasper to Danni with a confused expression. _Is he honestly trying to hit on her? Little…_

"Love them," she smiled back at him with a slight nod.

Danni tapped her foot impatiently. _Annoying little twit – stealing her attention. Just stop talking to her! God, leave her alone. Only Chase can hit on her. And he even shoves me out of the way, and she's __**still**__ nice to him! What the crap is this? I swear, it's Battle Royale if that idiot doesn't shut up._

"That should do it," Chase smiled, placing the syringe back onto the cart, "You ok?"

"I want my bunny," Lucy said softly.

Cameron placed her charts on the bed and grabbed the stuffed rabbit from on top of the covers, holding it out so Lucy could take it. Lucy grabbed at the real bunny, then the air, and back again. Danni frowned, cocking her head slightly to one side.

"Are you being silly?" the father asked.

"I don't know which one to take," Lucy admitted, whimpering slightly.

Chase and Cameron looked at one another, their expressions betraying their worry at the new symptom: double vision. Danni narrowed her eyes – she was interested.

**1 AM**

Danni blinked her eyes tiredly. She'd been following Cameron and Chase around the entire day as their patient got worse and worse. Being used to staying up until ridiculous hours of the morning finishing homework, Danni wasn't all that tired – it was simply House's hit-and-miss, then-hit-again tactics that were wearing her mind out.

"Tired?" Chase asked softly, flashing a sympathetic smile at her. They were alone in the room as the patient, a six-year-old girl, was getting an MRI.

"Mentally," Danni sighed, looking at the floor.

"You were allowed to go home…" he paused and looked at his watch, "six hours ago, Danni. You need sleep."

"I'm fine," Danni shook her head abruptly.

"Ok," Chase shrugged, amused slightly by the girl's determination.

Silence filled the room for a few moments.

"So, you're Cuddy's goddaughter?" Chase asked suddenly.

"Well…" Danni bit her lip, "not… exactly…"

"Her pseudo-goddaughter, then?" Chase said playfully.

"Yeah," Danni shrugged, the corners of her mouth turning up just a bit, "She'd like to think I am. I keep having to remind her that I'm not, though."

"Don't like anyone being that close to you, eh?" Chase laughed.

"Like you couldn't tell…" Danni scoffed.

"Cuddy's nice," Chase shrugged, "But I get your point."

"Yeah…" Danni mumbled.

"You and Cameron seem to be getting along really well, though," Chase prodded.

"She's… cool," Danni shrugged.

"Yeah," Chase laughed, "That she is."

"You like her?" Danni retorted curiously.

"Huh?" Chase asked, clearly startled as he turned his gaze on Danni.

"Do. You. Like. Her?" Danni said with emphasis, holding back a laugh.

"I-I… uh…" Chase stammered.

Danni started laughing as her mentor's face turned bright red.

"You should ask her out," she mused.

"You're awfully social all of a sudden," Chase deflected, "And _you're_ deflecting."

"I deflect. It's what I do," Danni rolled her eyes, "On the other hand, you should ask her out."

"Already tried," Chase mumbled, "She said 'no.'"

"So, the caring-one is just as screwed up as the rest of us?" Danni smirked.

"Worse," Chase rolled his eyes. Danni, taking it at face value, let out a small chuckle.

"Everybody lies, ya' know," she said with a smirk.

"Everyone except Cameron," Chase shook his head.

"I seriously doubt that," Danni scoffed, "Everyone has skeletons in their closet."

Silence once again filled the room.

"You're not such a bad kid," Chase said with a smile and a sideways glance at his young protégé, "You're not House, either. Well… not yet anyway."

"Thanks," Danni rolled her eyes, "You're not too bad yourself… for a coward who won't ask the woman he loves out on a date."

Cameron opened the door to the room, instantly causing both Chase and Danni to stop talking and turn back to the monitors.

"Well that wasn't suspicious at all," Cameron said, raising one eyebrow.

"Are your ears burning?" Danni quipped.

"No…" Cameron said crossly.

"Then we weren't talking about you. No worries," she smirked.

"Oh God…" Cameron sighed, "C'mon, kiddo, we have blood tests to rerun."

"What?" Chase asked quickly, turning to look and Cameron. Danni threw a glare straight at Cameron for the 'kiddo' comment.

"Sorry," Cameron chuckled, "I'm going to steal her for a bit."

"That's not fair," Chase pouted jokingly, turning back to the monitors.

"Oh, don't be a baby," Cameron rolled her eyes.

"Brrrr…" Danni said, pretending to shiver, "That's cold, Cam… really cold." Cameron hit Danni's arm playfully (albeit softly). "Hey!"

"Your own fault," Cameron smirked.

"_You're_ the one who was mean to Chase," Danni said defensively, "I'm merely standing up for the underdog."

"Hey!" Chase interjected, "Am not!"

"Chill, dude," Danni said, holding her hands up in surrender, "I'm just messing with you."

"Ugh," Cameron groaned, grabbing a chair, "Fine I'll babysit you two." Both Chase and Danni smiled to themselves. "And I _wasn't_ being mean to him!"

"Insert Freudian Slip here," Danni smirked.

"God, you two fight like cats," Chase remarked, still scanning the screens.

"Oh, we're just kidding," Cameron smiled. She looked at Danni, her smile softening.

Suddenly Danni felt someone's light, gentle touch on her arm. She looked to find Cameron's hand resting on her shoulder, her thumb moving in slow, soothing circles. Apprehension written on her face, Danni looked at Cameron, who just flashed her a soft smile. That feeling, that _loved_ feeling, rushed over again. So, too, did the guilt that always gnawed at the pit of her stomach. Danni shifted uncomfortably in her seat, moving just out of Cameron's reach. Guilt won – it would always win… because she carried so much of it – _too_ much of it.

Cameron let her hand fall back onto the armrest as she studied Danni's face. _She's not like House; she doesn't __**like**__ to be miserable. She wants to be loved, but refuses to open up. It's almost like she's intentionally punishing herself, alienating people because she needs to feel the misery, not because she genuinely likes it. Cuddy didn't do this to her. But what did? Why is she so… lonely and miserable? And why can't Cuddy see that all she needs is a ton of TLC?_

Danni looked up at Cameron for a brief second. She wanted to let Cameron in, but she just couldn't. Her past barred her in a cage. But what she didn't realize was that Cameron was the only one who held the key to open that cage. Cameron could heal her broken soul, if only Danni would let her.

With a sigh, Cameron reached in her lab coat pocket and pulled out Danni's BlackBerry Bold. She stood up and dropped it into Danni's lap.

"Impressive," she said somberly, obviously disheartened by Danni's own misery, "Very, very impressive."

Pocketing the phone, Danni looked at the floor, refusing to look up at Cameron.

"Thank you…" she mumbled half-heartedly.

Cameron knelt down slightly, close enough to whisper so that Chase wouldn't hear her.

"All great geniuses self-destruct," she said in a hushed whisper, "Don't kill who you are just to smite everyone else."

Chase, who had actually heard the conversation, listened attentively.

"You don't know me," Danni hissed in a low growl, "So _stop_ pretending that you do!"

With that, she got up and stormed out of the room.

**Fin Part 1**

**AN: Reviews are greatly appreciated! Thanks for reading! In Part 2 you'll possibly see more of Danni's past and why she's so misanthropic. But, will she ever let Cameron in? Will she ever see that she has to open up to the one person in the world who can help her through the pain? Maybe. Maybe not. Plus, will Cameron ever tell Danni of her own traumatic past? So many questions, so little time…**


	5. Chapter 4 First Case PART 2

_**Disclaimer: **__I do not own "House" or Fox, or any subsidiary third-party companies mentioned within this piece. The only characters I own are those that are not familiar to you (are not in the show). I also own the plot. This story is not based on anyone else's work and is made solely for the purpose of entertainment._

_**Author's Note**__: __**Reviews are appreciated; and thank you for reading. Happy reading! I said this was AU-ish, ergo I reserve the right to break the rules of the traditional AU style. (Yay me!) SPOILERS FOR "ACT YOUR AGE"**_

_**Chapter 4 – First Case**_

_**Part 2**_

"What was that all about?" Chase asked, looking questioningly at Cameron.

"The price of misanthropy," Cameron sighed, turning her dismal gaze to him.

"You ok?" Chase asked softly.

"I'm fine," Cameron returned coldly. Chase sighed.

"Why are we still sniping at one another?" he questioned, standing up out of the chair and walking one step closer to Cameron.

"We're not sniping, Chase," Cameron said, backing up one step.

"Yes we are," Chase said emphatically, "All today when we were at the house, we sniped at one another. I understand that you're angry with me, but did you really think it wasn't going to happen? It started as sex, but… why are you so mad that it became something more?"

"We're not talking about this," Cameron snapped, "I already told you. _You_ broke the rules. _You're_ the only one who wants anything more out of it. Drop it, Chase."

Chase watched sadly as Cameron exploded out of the room.

"You're acting just like Danni, ya' know," he called after her, only to earn a loud, angry scoff in response from down the hallway.

**9 AM**

Danni sighed, slumping down in her booth in the cafeteria. Her scrubs slid up on her legs as the sticky plastic cemented the fabric to the seat. She had been avoiding Cameron and Chase for eight hours now, sneaking into surgical observation rooms, locker rooms, offices, and the ICU to keep hidden for hours on end. A cup of water sat on the table, as did her newest book: _Owning Your Own Shadow_, by Robert Johnson. The hustle and bustle of the breakfast crowd made the cafeteria noisy and a terrible place to be reading. She shoved her hand into her pocket for her iPod touch irritably. Roughly shoving the earbuds into her ears, Danni quickly started to scroll through the long list of songs. She settled on "Baba O'Riley" by The Who. Moving her fingers to the sounds of the keyboard, Danni soon immersed herself in the music, zoning out of reality for a moment in time. That is, zoning out until she felt a tap on her shoulder. Letting out a muted groan, Danni turned around to find someone she wouldn't have expected. It was Jasper, that annoying little kid-brother of the patient. He was carrying two **huge** cups in his hands – like gigantic soda cups that you get at football games in huge stadiums or something.

"Jasper?" Danni asked questioningly.

"You're Dr. Cameron's intern, right?" he asked quickly.

"Uh, Dr. Chase's too… but… yes," Danni nodded.

"Good," he grinned impishly.

Suddenly he reached up above his head with the two massive containers and dumped all of the contents forcefully on Danni. She jumped in the seat, her mouth dropping wide open as the freezing cold, sticky, cherry-red ICEE dripped all over her body, soaking her scrubs to her skin with crimson-colored sugary ice. Her chest was heaving as cold shivers ran up and down her spine incessantly. The ability to process what had just happened completely abandoned her. Danni just sat there with her arms slightly out to the side of her, elbows at forty-five-degree angles, cold, wet slush dripping from every inch of skin.

"What the hell?" she half-screamed at the eight-year-old.

"Stay away from Dr. Cameron," Jasper said plainly, "You're stealing the attention that I should be getting." Without any remorse whatsoever, he walked away gleefully.

Danni looked up to find everyone in the entire cafeteria staring at her with wide eyes. She licked her lips, set her jaw, and wringing her hands a bit to get some of the ice off. Under the red coloring, her face was tinted pink from embarrassment. Gathering her book along with her ruined iPod and cell phone, Danni got up from the booth and walked out of the cafeteria, carefully avoiding Cuddy's office as she headed straight for the elevators.

**Up in the Diagnostics Office…**

"Jasper's got one-hundred times more testosterone than a healthy eight-year-old," Chase said, leaning his weight on the back of a chair, "But we scanned his brain and reproductive tract… no hormone-secreting tumors."

"Not surprised," Foreman interjected, "brother and sister get the same type of tumor at exactly the same time, or they both play in the same toxic sandbox?"

"Yes," Cameron sighed, "You would think that if, for some reason, you were completely unaware of the fact that we spent the entire night testing everything from that home. It was all negative."

"You went home?" House asked, pointing his cane at Foreman, who shrugged with a smirk, "Good for you. Delegate."

"We're not his subordinates!" Cameron growled.

"Making it all the more impressive," House said, taking a sip of his coffee.

"What if it's genetic?" Chase proposed, receiving odd looks from everyone else, "Well, anyone else think it's more than a coincidence these kids have symptoms that could be caused by a brain tumor, which is _exactly_ what killed their mom?"

"Oh God…" Cameron mumbled, her mouth dropping open slightly.

"What?" Chase asked worriedly, looking at her.

"Danni…" Cameron said softly, her voice filled with both horror and worry. Without another word, she discarded her coffee mug onto the table and rushed out of the office.

"I thought the Human Torch was a comic book character," House remarked.

"Oh, shut it," Chase growled, rushing out of the room after Cameron.

"Danni, what happened?" Cameron asked worriedly, looking to find that her student was covered literally from head to toe in red, gooey slush.

"Your eight-year-old boyfriend," Danni growled, "Apparently he wants to eliminate everyone in his path. What happened to your arm?"

"Same little insolent twit bit me," Chase mumbled, "I'm gonna kill the kid."

"Not if I get him first," Cameron said through gritted teeth. Her tone softened, "C'mon. Let's get you to the showers. You have to be freezing cold."

"No. Ice dripping down every inch of skin on my body isn't cold at all," Danni deadpanned, "It's like summer in St. Tropez."

"Oh, c'mon," Cameron rolled her eyes as she started for the elevators. Danni followed her without a word.

Chase sighed and walked back into the office.

"What happened?" Foreman asked curiously.

"Damn kid poured cherry ICEE all over her," Chase answered, slumping down in a seat across from Foreman.

"Wow," House scoffed, "Kid kicked your ass _and_ the devil spawn. I gotta go talk to this ankle-biter."

"Danni is **not** a 'devil-spawn'!" Chase growled fiercely.

**Down in the locker room…**

"Here," Cameron said softly, "You can use my shampoo and conditioner."

"Thanks," Danni nodded, stepping into the shower stall.

The sounds of the rushing water filled the otherwise empty locker room. Soon purple and red scrubs were draped over the top of the shower door.

"Wow," Cameron remarked, studying Danni's shirt, "He really got you good, didn't he?"

"You're not helping," Danni grumbled.

"Sorry," Cameron smirked, "I'd just never thought I'd see my student attacked by an eight-year-old patient. That's all."

"Really, Cameron," Dani groaned, "You're **not** helping."

"So, what happened?" Cameron asked curiously over the sound of the shower, sitting down on a bench.

"Me listening to music, your eight-year-old boyfriend with two giant cups of cherry ICEE, and the human ability to control one's impulses to kill…" Danni rambled as she rinsed the shampoo out of her hair. A wide grin crossed her face as she breathed in the scent of the shampoo. _No wonder she smells so good all the time._

"Sorry," Cameron said sympathetically.

"It's… not your fault," Danni mumbled.

"Uh, yeah… it kind of is," Cameron bit her lip.

"I don't care if you told him to do it," Danni said softly, "It's not your fault."

Cameron smiled widely.

"It's not my fault because you don't want it to be my fault," she chuckled.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Danni rolled her eyes, "Believe what you will." She was glad the shower door hid her face from Cameron's view as she had a huge smile from ear-to-ear.

"And yes… I can tell you're smiling," Cameron laughed.

Danni froze for a moment.

"Shut up," she griped.

"Ha! I knew it!" Cameron giggled.

"Oh you're hysterical," Danni deadpanned.

"You're just mad because you can't stay mad at me," Cameron guessed – correctly.

The water shut off and the towel from above the stall disappeared from Cameron's view. Suddenly the door swung open.

"You're not easy to stay mad at, if you haven't noticed," Danni said in a low tone.

"Neither are you, sweetheart," Cameron said gently.

Danni just stared at her, one eyebrow raised slightly.

"_Sweetheart_?" she asked.

"You can't stay mad at me, remember?" Cameron teased, "So, if I'm right, you're not going to get mad at me. You'll smile instead."

"I hate you," Danni said sarcastically. Her face was bright red because of how much effort it was taking not to smile.

Cameron just laughed and threw a new set of purple scrubs at her intern.

"Get changed," she shook her head with a smile, "We still have to figure out why Bonnie and Clyde are sick."

"Why Chase and that kid love you is beyond me," Danni sighed, walking into the bathroom stall.

"Chase doesn't love me!" Cameron retorted.

"And I hate you," Danni returned sarcastically. She slid the pants on with ease before sending another comment through the door, "You're in denial, Cameron."

"Am not!" Cameron growled.

"You're so in l-" Danni started before…

"Danni!" Cuddy called loudly as she exploded through the door of the girl's locker room. Cameron stood up.

"She's in the bathroom changing," she answered.

"Danni, are you alright?" Cuddy asked worriedly, completely ignoring Cameron.

"I'm fine," Danni mumbled, walking out of the bathroom with her towel in her hand.

She looked exactly like Cameron after she had showered following the HIV incident, only to return to the DDX in purple scrubs, wet hair, and her hair pulled back into a tight bun. Cuddy fought back a small growl upon noticing the growing resemblance between the two.

"Why didn't you stop that kid?" Cuddy asked coldly, turning to Cameron with a sharp glare.

"I was upstairs doing the DDX," Cameron answered strongly.

"She's your intern. You don't leave her out of the DDX, either. Which really just adds to your list of offenses, Dr. Cameron," Cuddy scolded.

"It was my fault!" Danni growled, "I went down to the cafeteria. She told me not to go, but I ignored her. Ok? My fault. My consequences."

"That's not true," Cameron interjected, "I didn't try to stop her. But I certainly didn't cause the patient to do this to her."

Cuddy was furious that Danni would lie to her to save Cameron.

"Dr. Cameron, you're off the case," she hissed.

"That's House's decision. Not yours," Cameron said unwaveringly.

"Not that case," Cuddy growled, "Danni is Chase's intern now… _not yours_." She turned to Danni. "C'mon."

"No," Danni said defiantly.

"This is nonnegotiable," Cuddy said coldly. "I will not have you," Cuddy shot a fierce glare in Cameron's direction before looking back at Danni, "around _her _anymore."

"Danni, she's right," Cameron sighed, looking deeply into the young girl's blue-green eyes. Knowing that Cameron would never give up that easily, Danni realized that it was merely a ploy. Nonetheless, it didn't help the feeling of being like a three-year-old getting their favorite toy taken away.

"You can't be serious?" Danni said almost pleadingly.

"I am," Cameron said as coldly as she possibly could. Taking one last quick glance at Danni, she started to walk away.

"You can't honestly-!" Danni called after her.

"Obviously I have to choose between you and my job. My job matters more to me," Cameron said convincingly. A surge of guilt, remorse, and heartache wracked her body. She hated saying that – it couldn't have been further from the truth – but she had to.

Danni stared at the door, as it swung closed behind Cameron.

"You… you were right…" Danni stuttered.

"I didn't… Danni…" Cuddy sighed, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to turn out that way."

"No…" Danni shook her head, looking up at Cuddy, "You were right. I mean… it's for the better… you're practically family… she's… not…"

"The difference being," Cuddy said soothingly, wrapping her arms around Danni, "that I love you, and she doesn't. Cameron hurts people. She makes them think that she loves them – cares for them almost maternally until… until they're cured. Once they're healed, she doesn't love them anymore. She gets her fix and moves on."

"House reversed," Danni mumbled, "Instead of hating people and getting his motivation off of that, she's the antithesis… she's motivated by being nice to damaged people…"

"Danni," Cuddy said in a motherly tone, "I told you to stay away from her because I love you. I don't want to see you get hurt even more. I know how hard your life's been, sweetheart." Danni cringed internally at the pet name 'sweetheart.' "I say what I do to keep you from being hurt, ok?"

"I know," Danni nodded, puling out of Cuddy's embrace.

Suddenly Cuddy's pager started to ring its alarm.

"What did House do this time?" Cuddy groaned, reading the message, "Danni, honey, I have to go. I'll see you later, ok?"

"Yeah," Danni nodded. Cuddy smiled at Danni before walking out of the locker room.

Danni sighed. The silence in the empty locker room was deafening. _Is Lisa right? Could Cameron really be that deceptive? Is she really just trying to fix me so she can get her own fix out of it? How could that be?_

Turning around, Danni almost jumped backwards upon seeing her own reflection. It was true; the resemblance between her and Cameron was startling. The hair, the scrubs, even the eye color – it was_ all_ like Cameron. She quickly yanked out the hair tie, letting her wet, reddish-golden-brown hair cascade in loose waves over her shoulders, disbanding with one trait she had in common with her mentor.

Danni had two choices and one decision to make. In the mirror she saw both Cameron and Cuddy – Cuddy keeping her composure, along with Cameron's mannerisms and appearance. The final judgment lie between her head and her heart – the feeling of being loved or common sense – illogical or logical? Staring into her own reflection, Danni tried to convince herself of one or the other. Everything factored in – everything from Cuddy's constant presence in her life, to every smile she'd had in the past few weeks. Danni realized that, had she had to choose between Cameron and Chase or Cuddy, the answer was clear. She was as close to _happy_ as she'd been in ages when she was with both Cameron and Chase.

With one last sigh, Danni put her hair back up in a bun. However, the question still lingered in the back of her mind, adding to her eternal guilt and pain.

_Did I make the right choice?_

**Fin Part 2**

**AN: If this sounds weird to anyone, I'm hoping you'll understand Danni's character more in… oh, say two chapters. I'm planning on telling you why she's so emotionally detached in about two chapters. So, until then, thanks for reading. **_**Reviews are always appreciated!**_


	6. Chapter 5 Rock and a Hard Place

_**Disclaimer: **__I do not own "House" or Fox, or any subsidiary third-party companies mentioned within this piece. The only characters I own are those that are not familiar to you (are not in the show). I also own the plot. This story is not based on anyone else's work and is made solely for the purpose of entertainment. __**I would also like to reiterate that I own this plot, and it is not up for grabs.**_

_**Author's Note**__: __**Reviews are appreciated; and thank you for reading. Happy reading! Plus… an angry Wilson is a funny Wilson! Rock on…**_

**Also, don't get me wrong here guys. I love Cuddy in the show, and I think the highest of Lisa Edelstein. I'm not Cuddy bashing at all, this is just a very warped version of her character that I decided to experiment with.**

_**Chapter 5 – Between a Rock and a Hard Place**_

__"What are you're doing?" Wilson asked as he threw open the door to Cuddy's office.

"Excuse me?" Cuddy asked, raising one eyebrow.

"You yelled at Cameron for caring?" Wilson asked incredulously.

"Well she has a big mouth…" Cuddy mumbled as she continued to sign the papers in the file on her desk.

"No," Wilson shook his head, "Cameron didn't say a thing. _Danni_ told me."

"Why would she do that?" Cuddy asked crossly.

"Because she knows it wasn't right!" Wilson almost yelled, "You chewed Cameron out for caring about Danni. You told Danni that Cameron didn't really care about her, and that all she really loved was getting a narcissistic pleasure out of fixing people. Do you realize how wrong that is?"

"Oh, excuse me for caring about _my_ goddaughter," Cuddy scoffed.

"You're not caring for her! You're being possessive! You're not possessive, Lisa. You never have been. What's changed?" Wilson retorted.

"You don't understand," Cuddy shook her head.

"I know you love her. I know that you'd do anything to protect her," Wilson said, his tone softening, "But I don't understand why you're taking all of your anger out on Cameron. She cares about Danni, Lisa. Tell me you haven't noticed a visible change in her since she's been paired up with Cameron?"

"Of course I have," Cuddy said sharply.

"And you don't want that?" Wilson asked, obviously taken aback, "She's the happiest I've ever seen her, and you of all people don't want that."

"Of course I want her to be happy!" Cuddy exclaimed, "When Danni lost her mother, _I_ was the one who was there for her, not Cameron. When Danni's father turned his back on her, _I _was the one she came crying to. Cameron has no right-"

"Cameron's not trying to take her from you," Wilson reasoned, "She's cares about Danni – she cares about Danni a lot – but she's not you. She'll never be you. I'm sure she doesn't ever want to be you. You're right… she wasn't there for Danni. She never will be. But she is Danni's _best friend_, Lisa, whether you like it or not. You telling them to stay away from one another is never going to work. That's like me trying to tell you to stay away from House. It'll never work."

**Around lunch time…**

"Have you seen Danni?" Cameron asked worriedly, walking up to Chase in the line at the cafeteria.

"No," Chase shook his head, stepping out of the line to talk to her, "Not after the whole ICEE incident. Why?"

"Can we talk?" Cameron asked anxiously, "…in private…"

Chase stared at her for a moment, "Uh… sure. Where did you have in mind?"

"Anywhere but here," Cameron sighed.

"It's a beautiful day outside. We could take a walk," Chase suggested.

Soon they were both outside, a calm breeze blowing all around them. An awkward tension filled the silence as they walked down the sidewalk in front of the hospital.

"So…" Chase tried, "at least the little brat went home."

"Cuddy took me off the case," Cameron said abruptly.

"What?" Chase asked, stopping in his tracks, "She can't do that."

"Not the medical case," Cameron sighed, "the mentorship."

"She couldn't have…" Chase frowned, puzzled, "What happened in the locker room, Cameron?"

Cameron walked a little bit forward, clasped her hand to her forehead and turned back around towards Chase with exasperation written all over her face.

"Danni was changing after she cleaned up, and Cuddy walked into the room," she bit her lip, "Things got ugly. She told Danni that she didn't want her to be with someone like me, and then…"

Chase looked into Cameron's eyes as her voice trailed off. It was a miracle that she was even talking to him after everything, namely the talk they had at the vending machines about her having feelings for him. But she was talking to him, and her voice trailing off meant that she was really hurting. He could see the regret in her eyes. Still head-over-heels in love with her as he'd always been, Chase was determined to help her.

"What's wrong?" he asked softly, stepping closer to her.

"I said some things to Danni to make Cuddy think that she'd won," Cameron said quietly, "And… I don't know if she knew that I was lying."

"Cameron…" he shook his head, "don't worry about that. Of course she knew you weren't serious. She's smart, and she knows you'd never hurt her."

"I just…" Cameron averted her eyes to the ground, "I just… I need to tell her that it wasn't true."

"Hey," Chase said very softly, knowing that he was probably overstepping his bounds, "Don't take it so hard. It's gonna be fine, Ally."

Cameron looked up at him. Chase _never_ used her first name – let alone _Ally_. The even stranger part was… she liked it. Biting her lip, she dropped her head into her hands. Chase was at a loss as to why she was taking this so hard.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his voice again a gentle whisper.

"Danni was getting so much better," Cameron shook her head despondently, "And Cuddy is going to ruin it! Look what's already happened! That poor girl is just going to get worse and worse until she self destructs completely."

"Hey, hey, hey," Chase said soothingly, pulling Cameron into his arms much to her surprise, "It's ok. It's ok."

Cameron's heart rate quickened, her muscles tensing because of Chase's gentle hold on her. She wanted to pull away, but found herself unable to. All week Cameron had been trying to convince herself that she wasn't in love with Chase. All week she'd been lying to herself. She desperately hugged him back.

After a few moments, Cameron pulled away. Her uncertainty had once again gotten the better of her.

"Uh… thanks…" she mumbled awkwardly.

"Of course…" Chase bit his lip.

"I'm gonna go find Danni," Cameron said quietly, "I'll see you around."

"Right…" Chase nodded, a small, forced grin on his face.

Cameron gave him a tiny smile back before walking towards the hospital. Chase sighed as he watched her walk away.

**Up in the Diagnostics Office…**

_Danni squeezed her eyelids shut, slumping down further into her chair. The conversation with Cuddy and Cameron was still playing over and over again in her mind. She couldn't decide whom to trust._

_"You look like hell," House mumbled as he limped into the outer office._

_"I feel like hell," Danni bit her lip._

_House cocked his head to one side, sitting across the table from her. He was surprised at her lack of hostility to his comment, which only interested him more._

_"I don't blame you," he said quietly._

_"Are you actually having a human conversation with me, or are we just beating around the bush until you whack me over the head with some evil comment that you've been waiting to try out on any unsuspecting idiot?" Danni asked seriously, no trace of sarcasm in her voice._

_"I wouldn't do that to you," House squinted his eyes slightly, "You're no fun to annoy."_

_"Why is that?" Danni asked curiously._

_"Cuddy and Cameron beat me to the punch," he blinked plainly, "It's like stolen goods or the future boyfriends that you'll eventually do; there's a distinctive territorial mark. Unfortunately for you, both of them got you at the same time." Danni grimaced at his comment._

_"Ok. Eww," she groaned._

_"Yeah, well, if you've ever watched two lion prides go at it, you'd know that they're either going to destroy one another," he paused, "or one will succeed in creaming the other into pulp."_

_"And you're telling me this why?" Danni asked._

_"Because you're either going to choose between Cuddy and Cameron," he said seriously, "or you're going to sit by and watch them fight until one pulls you and the other into a million pieces." Danni swallowed hard. "You know I'm right."_

_"You're asking me to choose between the two of them?" she asked fearfully._

_"I'm not asking you to. I'm telling you that you have to," House tapped his cane on the floor, "I mean, you know, unless you want Cameron to get fired. It's not easy kiddo, but it is that simple."_

_"It's not simple," Danni shook her head angrily, "It's cruel. I can't do that to them."_

_"Oh, don't play the good guy," House frowned irritably, "First off, it's your decision, not theirs. Secondly, it's better to choose than to have them fighting over you."_

_"You think turning my back on one of the two people that actually give a crap about me is the good thing to do?" Danni asked incredulously, "Are you high?"_

_"Yes, but… either I'm wrong about you being like me," House sighed, "or you just don't want to hear it because you know it's true. And I'm never wrong on the final diagnosis."_

_Danni sat before him pensively. Her gaze locking intently with his, neither of them moving save to breathe._

_"I know…" she murmured finally, "I just don't know how…"_

_"To choose?" House asked, "It's simple."_

_"No it's not!" Danni almost yelled, rocketing out of her chair._

_"It's your choice," House repeated._

_"You keep saying that, but it's not!" Danni growled, "It's not my choice!"_

_"It's your life!" House roared back at her, standing up and shoving his cane into her face, "What's it going to be? You going to keep letting them fight, or are you going to play King Solomon? Do you want them to fight until one loses her job, and the other becomes so overprotective that she suffocates you? Because that's what they're going to do, Danni; you know that."_

_"Shut up!" Danni hissed, "Stop it! I know!"_

_"Then who's it gonna be?" House scowled._

_Danni backed away from him a few steps, locking her gaze on the carpet. She felt like crying, but knew she couldn't. He was right and she knew it. How could she choose between Cuddy, the family friend who had tried to be a mother figure for her after everything, and Cameron, the loving mentor who __**did**__ become the mother figure and best friend that she needed for so long._

_Just then, Cameron rushed into the outer office._

_"House, leave her alone," she growled, sensing her student's distress._

_Hearing the voice she'd come to know so well, Danni immediately turned to face Cameron and swallowed hard._

_"No, Cameron, it's fine," she mumbled, sinking back into her chair, "We were just talking."_

_"Talking, huh?" Cameron cocked her head to one side slightly as she walked over to the both of them._

_"I get it. I'll leave," House smirked._

_"No, House, don't…" Danni tried._

_"Sorry, Mommy's calling me," he blinked calmly before walking out of the room._

_An awkward silence filled the office._

_"Danni…" Cameron started._

_"Don't," Danni shook her head, getting up out of the chair to stand at the window with her back turned to Cameron._

_"I'm sorry," Cameron ignored her._

_"You didn't mean it. You have nothing to be sorry for," Danni said quietly._

_Cameron bit her lip and stepped closer to the distraught girl._

_"You don't believe that," she murmured softly._

_Danni whipped around to face her._

_"I don't know what to believe anymore," she snapped icily, her words no more than a rough whisper._

"Danni? Dan, c'mon, wake up. Wake up sweetheart, it's just a bad dream. C'mon, Danni."

Immediately jolting wide-awake, Danni opened her eyes to find Cameron watching her worriedly.

"What?" she asked breathlessly.

"Are you alright?" Cameron asked, clearly concerned.

"Yeah. Why?" Danni asked crossly, "And why am I in House's chair?"

"Chase picked you up and put you in the chair," Cameron grinned.

"What? Why?" Danni questioned.

"You feel asleep, and apparently had a really bad dream," Cameron answered softly, "That's what you get for pulling an all-nighter at age twelve, sweetheart."

Danni glared at her mentor at the mention of her age.

"You're not funny," she grumbled.

"And you're grumpy," Cameron teased.

"You're treating me like I'm a little kid!" Danni shook her head.

"You're twelve!" Cameron pointed out incredulously.

"I'm in high school!" Danni exclaimed.

"Not for another week," Cameron countered, watching her young student slump down further into the chair. She put her hand on Danni's knee, causing the girl to look at her awkwardly. "Stop trying to grow up so quickly," Cameron whispered, "It'll come fast enough; trust me."

"So you're telling me to act like an annoying little kid?" Danni smirked.

"No," Cameron smiled softly, putting her hand under Danni's chin and gently forcing her mouth into a grin, "I'm telling you to enjoy life. Smiling once in awhile won't kill ya, you know."

Danni bit the inside of her cheeks, trying so hard not to smile and failing miserably at it. She started to laugh and pulled out of Cameron's grasp. Cameron smiled, letting her hand fall back to Danni's knee.

"Fine. You win," Danni grinned. Cameron just smiled at her, but Danni could tell that the smile was more sad than genuinely happy. An awkward silence developed between them.

"Danni, I didn't mean anything that I said in the locker room," she said strongly after a few moments, "You mean the world to me, and I don't ever want you to think otherwise."

Heart beating faster and faster, Danni timidly looked at Cameron. _Oh God… I can't believe I'm about to do this._ After drawing in a sharp breath, she wrapped her arms around Cameron and held on tightly. Cameron's mouth dropped open slightly in shock, but she quickly returned the hug, holding onto Danni even tighter. She could feel Danni relax in her arms, which only made her heart ache more. It was as if no one ever took the time to realize that she needed just as much love and attention as any twelve-year-old should get.

"Why are you always right?" Danni asked, her words muffled through Cameron's lab coat.

Cameron started to laugh, wrapping her arms around Danni a bit tighter.

"I have a teddy bear of a student to bounce ideas off of," she grinned, "What can I say? We make a great team."

"I am _not_ a teddy bear," Danni grumbled playfully, pulling out of the hug and looking up at Cameron, "…at least not with anyone else…"

"Glad to see you're paying so much attention to Cuddy's rules," House snarked as he walked into his office.

Much to Cameron's surprise, Danni just shook her head and laughed.

"What do you want?" Cameron asked somewhat irritably.

"Here," he said, tossing her his nametag, "Go be me in the clinic for a few hours."

"No," she scoffed, throwing it back at him, "Do it yourself." She looked at Danni, "Let's go find Chase; I'm starving."

"Works for me," Danni smiled as they both got up, "Just promise me that we won't go near the cafeteria's ICEE machine."

"I promise," Cameron smiled.

House watched as Danni and Cameron walked out of the office. A small smile formed on his lips when he saw Cameron put her arm around Danni. Danni needed her as much as he needed Vicodin, and he knew it too.

"But when Cuddy finds out… _that's_ gonna be fun to watch," he snickered into the silence of his empty office as he could hear Danni and Cameron's laughter from down the hall.

**AN: Thanks for reading, and reviews are awesome! Sorry this took so long, but school is hectic. Sorry guys. Thanks so much for reading!**


	7. Chapter 6 Dannisitting

_**Disclaimer: **__I do not own "House," Fox, or any subsidiary third-party companies mentioned within this piece. The only characters I own are those that are not familiar to you (i.e. are not in the show). I also own the plot. This story is not based on anyone else's work and is written solely for the purpose of entertainment. __**I would also like to reiterate that I own this plot, and it is not up for grabs.**_

_**Author's Note:**__ Reviews are appreciated; and thank you for reading._

**Sorry this (*and the rest of my stories for that matter…*) has taken so long. Blame the creators of the evil torture method otherwise known as the "AP Exam."**

_**Chapter 6 – Danni-sitting**_

_Three months had passed since that fateful day in August. Surprisingly, things had been going rather smoothly for the staff of Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. House was disappointed when Cuddy seemed not to react to Danni's clear avoidance of her rules. He blamed Wilson's intervention for that. Part of the contention between both alpha females was diffused when Cameron and Chase became the hospital's official power couple soon after Danni started her freshman year of high school in late August. Danni remained a regular at the hospital (and Cameron's unofficial intern), often doing her homework in the Diagnostics Office or the lab – namely wherever Cameron and Chase were. House, still interested by Danni's damaged side (and, although he'd never admit it, because he really does care about her), decided that he wanted to keep her around permanently by driving Foreman's intern out of the program to eliminate any competition. All in all, life seemed to be turning up for the motley crew of PPTH. But that never lasts, does it?_

Wilson looked up from the chart he was reading to see Cuddy walk irritably out of her office.

"Something the matter?" he asked as she passed by.

She kept going a few steps, then stopped and turned around to face him.

"I have to go to a conference in California this week," Cuddy sighed.

"So? You get out of the cold for a few days. Where's the downs-… oh… Danni," he nodded, "I see the problem."

"I can't just leave her alone," Cuddy bit her lip, "Especially not on her Thanksgiving break."

"You've gone away before," Wilson pointed out.

"I haven't gone to a conference outside of New Jersey without Danni since I started watching over her. If I ever went, which was rare, she'd come with me. But she just started high school. I can't take her now," Cuddy said.

"I could-" Wilson started.

"No, you can't. You, House, and Chase have to go too," Cuddy shook her head.

"Why Chase?" Wilson asked curiously.

"They would all have to go, but Foreman is sick with a cold and Cameron has already requested vacation time so she can go visit her family in Chicago for Thanksgiving," Cuddy answered. She paused a moment, "Which leaves Danni with House."

"I thought he had to go?" Wilson asked.

"He never does, and no one misses him either," Cuddy mumbled.

"You've got to be kidding me," came a familiar voice from behind them.

"Danni?" Cuddy asked quickly, whipping around to see the girl standing a few feet behind her, "When did you get here?"

"At 3:20. Same as always," she answered, "But that's not the point. You can't honestly stick me with House!"

Cuddy sighed, "I'm sorry, but I don't have a choice."

Danni set her jaw and shook her head, "Fine. I'll be upstairs…"

With that, she sauntered away from Cuddy and Wilson to a waiting elevator and was on her way to the office in no time.

**Up in the Diagnostics Office…**

"Hey," Cameron smiled as Chase entered the otherwise-empty office.

"Hey," he smiled happily.

"How's your day been so far?" she grinned, getting up out of her chair.

"Much better now," Chase said quietly as he wrapped his arms around his girlfriend.

"Yeah?" she asked, her lips tantalizingly close to his.

"Mhmm," he mumbled, taking her lips in a tender kiss.

"You sure about that?" Cameron snickered, pulling away from him for a moment.

"Yes," he smiled, kissing her again.

Cameron smiled against his lips before deepening the kiss.

"Stop playing tonsil hockey and get a room," Danni growled irritably.

Cameron and Chase broke the kiss immediately, both blushing a bit.

"What's your problem?" Chase asked curiously.

"Cuddy. So frequent, so comforting," Danni snarked before walking directly into House's office, flinging her backpack in a corner, dropping her textbooks with a loud 'thud' on the floor, and collapsing into the chair in the corner of his office.

Looking at one another worriedly, Cameron immediately started in after her young charge.

"What happened?" she asked, clearly concerned.

"Nothing," Danni sighed as Cameron sat down on the footrest.

"Nothing?" Cameron repeated in a patronizing tone.

"Stop it," Danni glared at her.

"Not until you tell me what's wrong," Cameron shook her head, her voice still soft and sweet.

"We've been fighting lately… typically over small stuff. This just sent me over the barrier," Danni bit her lip, "She's making me stay with House over Thanksgiving break while Wilson, Chase, and her go to some conference in California."

Cameron shook her head and sighed. Suddenly she furrowed her brow and looked up at Danni with a smile.

"Not if I can help it," she said determinedly.

"What?" Danni asked curiously, but Cameron was already out the door and down the hallway.

She and Chase just looked at one another in question through the glass that separated the outer office from House's office.

**Downstairs…**

"Dr. Cuddy," Cameron called as she walked into the clinic.

Cuddy turned to see Cameron walking quickly towards her. Though much of the tension between the two had subsided, both alpha females still shared a shred of contempt for the other. She couldn't help having a slight feeling of jealousy and anger wash over her.

"Yes, Dr. Cameron?" she answered while scanning a file.

Cameron stopped in front of Cuddy and opened her mouth to speak, but paused and bit her lip.

"Chase just told me that you're all going to California for a conference this coming weekend and-" she started.

"Let me guess. Danni told you that she has to stay with House and you don't want her to?" Cuddy raised one eyebrow.

"In a matter of speaking, yes," Cameron nodded.

"Unfortunately I share the same feelings, but I don't have anywhere else-" Cuddy sighed.

"I know," Cameron said pacifically, "Which is why I want her to come to Chicago with me." Cuddy stared at Cameron crossly. "Last Thanksgiving, House downed a bottle of Vicodin and was in a drug-induced stupor for the entire week – even while we had a case. And-"

"You really think you can handle the responsibility?" Cuddy asked seriously.

"Absolutely," Cameron answered immediately.

"And your family?" Cuddy asked in a softer tone.

"Won't mind at all," Cameron finished.

"You're sure about this?" Cuddy furrowed her brow.

"One-hundred percent," Cameron nodded.

"All of the flights are probably booked," Cuddy sighed, trying a last-ditch attempt to get Cameron to repeal her offer.

"Chase was going to go with me before you told him he had to go to the conference. I still have his ticket," Cameron said pointedly, knowing that the ticket defense was Cuddy's proverbial last remaining "leg to stand on."

Cuddy bit her lip as her eyes darted across the clinic. Another sigh escaped her lips once she realized that she had no logical argument left. She looked at Cameron.

"Ok," she nodded, "Sounds good. When's the flight?"

"Tomorrow night," Cameron said, "You can drop her off at my apartment or I can pick her up from school. Either way."

"She has an early dismissal tomorrow at 12:15. I can pick her up and drop her off around then," Cuddy nodded.

"Sounds great," Cameron smiled.

Cuddy took in a deep breath and looked at Cameron.

"Thank you, Allison," she said softly.

"Of course," Cameron nodded politely.

"I'm not babysitting!" came a familiar voice echoing through the clinic.

"Don't worry, House," Cuddy said, turning around to face him, "You're off the hook from babysitting. _But you __**still**__ have to go to that conference_."

"Oh, c'mon!" House whined.

"Dr. C-" Cuddy started, turning around to find nothing but the busy clinic. Cameron had undoubtedly gone off to find Danni.

**Back upstairs…**

Cameron fixed a furious expression on her face as she stormed through the doors to the Diagnostics Office. Danni, the only one in the office, was sitting at the table finishing the last of her Chemistry homework. She looked up immediately.

"What's the matter with you?" she asked timidly.

"My vacation plans changed," Cameron answered ambiguously as she walked over to the window and stood with her back to her young intern.

"What happened?" Danni sighed, burying her face in her hands.

It took all of the composure Cameron was capable of to keep from breaking into laughter right then and there, but she kept the charade awhile longer.

"Cuddy said I could take you with me to Chicago for Thanksgiving," she grumbled.

"I'm sor-… wait… what?" Danni asked instantly. She whipped around to see Cameron facing her with a huge smile and a face red from silent laughter.

"Cuddy agreed to let me take you to Chicago for Thanksgiving," Cameron repeated, kneeling down in front of the still-stupefied Danni. "But only if you want to go. I don't want to make you do something you-"

Danni almost tackled Cameron to the floor with a hug before she could even finish her sentence.

"I'll take that as a yes," Cameron teased. She could feel Danni smile against her shoulder. "And, yes, I can tell you're smiling."

A pang of guilt made Danni's stomach churn as she pulled out of the hug. A wide smile was still on her face, but even Cameron could tell that Danni's emotions were mixed. She had felt this way for a long time, but it never hurt any less; especially when she desperately wanted to move on. A happy moment was once again bittersweet – the joy giving way to a damaged soul.

**Author's Note: Ok, this was going to be longer… but it didn't work. So, this is kind of the prelude to the next two chapters (a two-part-er). Sorry guys. This time I'll actually update soon (school's almost over). I know I'm a terrible person. I apologize. Next up for an update is either this or "New Beginnings," but they'll both be up sooner than later. Adios amigos.**

**Please drop a review on your way out, if you don't mind/have the time to. Thank you!**


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